Problem
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (BCBSNJ), a provider of managed care and traditional indemnity plans for individuals and employers throughout the state of New Jersey, needed to move beyond the standard data processing routines followed by manually editing typesetting proofs for the preparation of database files to printed directories. BCBSNJ was not only looking for a quicker editing solution, but also for a record of all of their changes made throughout the process as well as a cleansed database file returned to them.
Solution
C-I EditTM was created and developed in Microsoft Access as a user-friendly editing tool to accomplish this list of demands. C-I Edit is a way to edit the actual, cleansed data used in the desktop publishing phase of directory production. It also provides a complete record of every edit by each user. This tool not only makes record searching easier but also is able to simultaneously show a particular provider record, and all other corresponding records for that provider, in a side-by-side comparison, thus increasing both the speed and accuracy of the client edits. This matching record feature has been expanded and adapted for other users and directory types based on varying client criteria. The provision of an electronic solution for editing also made it possible, through Citrix Metaframe software, to provide the client with the ability to make edits through the internet. This allowed multiple users to access the C-I Edit software as well as provides reduced down time due to weather or illness. Since all edits in C-I Edit are made to the live, production database, the final result is a completely edited file that can be returned to the client for implementation in other areas.
Result
The C-I Edit tool has greatly reduced the time needed to produce printed directories by speeding the editing process while reducing errors and increasing accuracy. The client is provided with a complete and accurate record of changes in addition to a cleansed database reflecting the actual data in the printed directory.
Expertise / Technologies
Project Management, Software Development, Data Cleansing and Manipulation, Quality Control — Microsoft Access, QuarkXpress, Adobe Acrobat, Citrix Metaframe